Deal or Death is the negotiation-focused social deduction game about corporate absurdity. Haggle and form coalitions in a series of fast-paced negotiations, while facing the constant threat of betrayal. As Executives attempt to secure the support of Shareholders by promising some coveted paperclips, Infiltrators with hidden agendas will do whatever it takes to fulfill their own ambitions. Who can you trust to make you rich?
After players draw their roles, the Executives shall identify themselves while the roles of the remaining players, known as the Board Members, remain hidden. Each Executive then enters a two-minute negotiation with every Board Member, offering Paperclips in exchange for information and support with the hope of closing Deals with Shareholders during the Board Meeting at the end of the game. Shareholders must decide which Executive to side with and close the most lucrative Deal, while Infiltrators disrupt negotiations with their own goals.
While negotiations are occurring, the other players are free to network, strategizing and scheming with each other. Before the Board Meeting begins, Board Members can discover someone else's role through a Disclosure (provided by Shareholder Tokens, Infiltrator Tokens, and VP Stars). Once the Executives finish negotiating with each Board Member, they may negotiate with one player for the second time in the Endgame Negotiations.
In the Board Meeting that follows, Executives and Shareholders shall submit Proposals, outlining the terms that they are committed to. Executives write down which of their Paperclips will go to who, while Shareholders write down their expected payout and which Executive they are supporting. Terms need to match in order for a Deal to close, but Executives may give more Paperclips than what a Shareholder asks for in their Proposal. Once they are done, players will reveal their Proposals and see who has closed Deals and who has won.
-description from publisher
- Engaging social deduction dynamics
- Hidden information and end-game reveal create tension
- Large player counts (5-11) enable social play
- Complex rules may be hard to manage in casual groups
- Requires many players to feel optimal
- Corporate governance, negotiation, deception
- Corporate boardroom / company environment with executives and shareholders
- Secret meetings, negotiation and end-game reveal
- One Night Ultimate Werewolf
- Rooms in a Boom
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Hidden Information — Players hold confidential deals and information revealed at end game
- Negotiation — Players negotiate deals and influence outcomes through discussion
- role-based interaction — Executives vs shareholders roles shape decisions
- Social Deduction — Players deduce others' strategies and aims through interaction
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- they could not simply organize the game in such a way to be able to feasibly play it as a proper board game like I do
- Katan is a real game it's it's not — it's all initial placement
- I hate all these random aspects and games I hate dice
- this game rocks
- Deal or Death is a social deduction game for 5 to 11 people playing as part of a company
- I legitimately enjoyed this more than One Night Ultimate Werewolf